Strong Tech in a Weaker F1

After seeing the post by the team at Formula1blog.com, I have to say that the current level of sophistication and intricacies of the current Formula 1 engine, or “Power Unit,” is taking away from the amazing spectacle that F1 has always been.

Why is F1 still trying to make a case for these power units when they take away from the show that die hard fans have been wanting for so long? We want high horsepower, hard-to-drive, risky to drive flat out in Eau Rouge screaming beasts that dare the world’s best drivers to push to their limits. And I mean to truly try to drive these cars as hard as possible and see if the limit is the car’s or their own, personally.

My first driving instructor, the late Danny Collins, raced in the 1960’s in Europe against guys that ended up in various Formulae and had success against them. He told me it was because the best guys were willing to dare themselves to do what it took to make the car go to its limit, and sometimes that meant going past their own personal limits while sawing at the wheel in cars that were hard to drive.

As an F1 fan, I’m having a hard time defending (or explaining) the sport to my co-workers who still confuse F1 with the Indy 500 and ask if they are as fast as NASCAR race cars. When I tell them that they are faster, corner better, have enough downforce to drive upside-down, they ask me why then that they’ve never heard of this series.

That’s F1’s fault and I, for one, sure wish they would make the show better, all the while making it easier for those of us who eat, breathe, and love it to defend its relevance in world motorsport.